DETAILED ACTION
1. Claims 1-15 are pending in the application.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
4. Claim(s) 1-5, 7, and 12-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Son et al (hereafter Son)(US Pub. 20180285715).
Son was cited in the IDS filed 02/21/2023
5. As to claim 1, Son discloses a signal processing device (abstract), comprising:
a multiply-accumulate operation unit arranged in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array and capable of performing a multiply-accumulate operation in a neural network ([0005]-[0007] dimensions of kernel feature map, [0100]-[0102] MAC operations);
a threshold determination processing unit that determines whether or not input data used for operation by the multiply-accumulate operation unit is less than a predetermined threshold ([0154] and [0165], data less than a threshold or not); and
an avoidance processing unit that avoids multiply- accumulate operation processing for the input data in a case where the input data is less than the predetermined threshold ([0165] determine whether to skip MAC operation if data less than a threshold).
6. As to claim 2, Son discloses wherein the input data includes first type input data and second type input data, the threshold determination processing unit performs the determination for the first type input data, and the avoidance processing unit avoids the multiply- accumulate operation processing for the first type input data in a case where the first type input data is less than the predetermined threshold ([0165]-[0167]).
7. As to claim 3, Son discloses wherein the second type input data is weight data that is information of a weight to multiply the first type input data ([0165]-[0168] weights).
8. As to claim 4, Son discloses wherein the threshold determination processing unit is provided one each for a plurality of the multiply- accumulate operation units ([0154]).
9. As to claim 5, Son discloses wherein the avoidance processing unit changes the input data input to the multiply-accumulate operation unit in a case where the input data is less than the predetermined threshold in such a manner as to avoid the multiply- accumulate operation processing for the input data that is less than the predetermined threshold ([0165]).
10. As to claim 7, Son discloses wherein the avoidance processing unit is provided for each of the multiply-accumulate operation units ([0165]).
11. As to claim 12, Son discloses an imaging device ([0084] and [0089]), comprising:
a pixel array unit in which photoelectric conversion elements are arranged in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array ([0177] converting an optical image to an electronic signal);
a signal processing unit to which input data based on an output signal of the pixel array unit is input, wherein the signal processing unit includes a multiply-accumulate operation unit arranged in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array and capable of performing a multiply-accumulate operation in a neural network ([0005]-[0007] dimensions of kernel feature map, [0100]-[0102] MAC operations);
a threshold determination processing unit that determines whether or not the input data used for operation by the multiply-accumulate operation unit is less than a predetermined threshold ([0154] and [0165], data less than a threshold or not);; and
an avoidance processing unit that avoids multiply- accumulate operation processing for the input data in a case where the input data is less than the predetermined threshold ([0165] determine whether to skip MAC operation if data less than a threshold).
12. As to claim 13, Son discloses wherein the pixel array unit and the signal processing unit are integrally formed (fig. 2).
13. As to claim 14, Son discloses wherein feature data extracted on a basis of an output signal of the pixel array unit is input to the signal processing unit as the input data ([0084]-[0085] feature extraction).
14. As to claim 15, the claim is rejected for similar reasons as claim 1 above.
Allowable Subject Matter
15. Claims 6 and 8-11 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record does not teach or suggest at least a multiply-accumulate operation control unit that manages input data and output data of the multiply- accumulate operation processing, wherein the avoidance processing unit notifies the multiply-accumulate operation control unit of information for specifying the input data for which the multiply- accumulate operation processing has been avoided; as in claim 6, wherein the avoidance processing unit avoids the multiply- accumulate operation processing for the input data that is less than the predetermined threshold, and outputs a zero value as a processing result of the multiply- accumulate operation processing; as in claim 8, and wherein the input data includes first type input data and second type input data, and in a case where the first type input data is less than a first threshold, the avoidance processing unit changes the first type input data input to the multiply-accumulate operation unit and notifies the multiply-accumulate operation control unit of information for specifying the changed first type input data, as in claim 9.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US Pub. 20160358068 – related to neural networks and, more particularly, to reducing computations in neural networks.
US Pub. 20200320375 – related to accelerating neural networks with low precision-based multiplication and exploiting sparsity in higher order bits.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL D YAARY whose telephone number is (571)270-1249. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9-5:30.
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/MICHAEL D. YAARY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2151
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